To produce oil or gas from a reservoir, a wide variety of oilfield subterranean operations include the use of a surfactant. Such operations include, but are not limited to, drilling operations, stimulation treatments (e.g., fracturing treatments, acidizing treatments), and completion operations (e.g., sand control treatments). In these subterranean operations, surfactants may be used for a number of purposes, such as emulsifying agents, non-emulsifying agents, foaming agents, defoaming agents, viscosifying (e.g., gelling) agents, dispersants, wetting agents, and the like.
Surfactant selection is costly and time consuming, usually requiring access to a regional laboratory or field lab. Surfactant selection has also been shown to have a significant impact on the life and production of a well. Therefore, there is a continued need for cheaper, less time consuming and effective methods to select the optimal surfactant that will increase hydrocarbon production during oilfield subterranean operations and possibly extend the life of the well.